The death of 21-year-old Delta State University student Demartravion “Trey” Reed has raised difficult questions for his family, and now Colin Kaepernick is stepping in to help find answers.
Reed, a computer science major, was found hanging from a tree near the school’s pickleball courts early Monday morning. By Thursday, the Bolivar County coroner ruled the death a suicide. Police said there was no evidence of foul play and suggested that video shows Reed’s final moments.
But Reed’s relatives aren’t convinced. They’ve hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who says the family received conflicting information about what happened. Crump confirmed that Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative will cover the cost of an independent autopsy.
A Family’s Search for Truth
“Trey’s death touched a community with a long history of painful losses,”Crump said. “The only path to peace is through the truth. We thank Colin Kaepernick for standing with this family.”
The first autopsy tried to calm the speculation. Bolivar County Coroner Randolph Seals Jr. said Reed had no broken bones, no cuts, and no signs of being assaulted. Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell also criticized the rumors, saying they were hurtful and misleading.
Still, questions remain. Delta State Police Chief Michael Peeler said investigators are reviewing campus security footage. Many on campus say they want to see the results for themselves before accepting the official explanation.
Witnesses Recall Reed’s Final Hours
On the night before his death, Reed was seen upset outside a residence hall. Jy’Quon Wallace, president of the school’s African American Student Council, told the Clarion Ledger he watched Reed having a heated phone call.
“He was throwing his hands around, kicking the wall, and looked really stressed,” Wallace said. “I had never seen him like that before.”
Kaepernick, who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016 after kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, has focused much of his life on activism. Through his nonprofit, he has backed independent autopsies for families questioning official rulings in controversial cases.
For Reed’s family, the new autopsy may be the only way to find the clarity they need. For Kaepernick, it’s another example of using his platform to challenge systems he believes demand accountability.
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